德莱塞(1871～1945年)

Dreiser, Theodore (Herman Albert)

美国小说家。父母是贫穷的德国移民，他十五岁便离家至芝加哥。曾担任记者，1894年来到纽约，为几家报社工作，并为杂志撰稿。他的第一部小说《嘉莉妹妹》（1900），由於书中年轻情妇的「越轨」行为并没有受到惩处，而受到抨击。他接下来的小说更使他成为美国杰出的自然主义实践者。在《珍妮姑娘》（1911）获得成功後，他开始全职写作，作品有︰三部曲《金融家》（1912）、《巨人》（1914）和《斯多噶》（1947）、《天才》（1915）及其续集《堡垒》（1946）。《美国的悲剧》（1925）是以一桩着名谋杀案为基础写成的，使他成为社会改革者的英雄。他还写了短篇故事、剧本、散文和回忆录。尽管德莱塞被认为在作品的文体上有缺陷，但是他的小说成功地积聚了许多写实主义的细节，还成功地完整刻画出美国人追逐名利的悲剧观点。小说《嘉莉妹妹》和《美国的悲剧》无疑是不朽的文学巨着，它们展示了对本世纪初美国人的经历的深刻理解︰无止境的欲望和普遍的幻灭感。

English version：

1871～1945年

Dreiser, Theodore (Herman Albert)

U.S. novelist. Born in Terre Haute, Ind., to poor German immigrant parents, he left home at 15 for Chicago. He worked as a journalist, then moved to New York in 1894 for a successful career as a magazine editor and publisher. His first novel, Sister Carrie (1900), about a young kept woman who goes unpunished for her transgressions, was denounced as scandalous. His subsequent novels would confirm his reputation as the outstanding American practitioner of naturalism. After the success of Jennie Gerhardt (1911), he began writing full-time, producing a trilogy consisting of The Financier (1912), The Titan (1914), and The Stoic (published 1947), which was followed by The Genius (1915) and its sequel, The Bulwark (published 1946). An American Tragedy (1925), based on a murder trial, made him a hero among social reformers. He also wrote short stories, plays, essays, and memoirs.

参考文章

• 西奥多·德莱塞的预感与弟弟的死亡历史趣事